Remakes are profit killers. When I was running my fabrication business, implementing these 5 quality control processes reduced our remake rate from 8% to under 2% - saving thousands in materials and labor.
Nothing hurts more than watching a beautiful countertop get loaded onto the truck, only to see it come back for a remake, or worse having to rip out and start over. Remakes don't just cost materials - they cost, time, labor, schedule delays, customer relationships, and your reputation.
When I started my fabrication business, our remake rate was embarrassingly high. Every remake felt like a personal failure, but more importantly, it was killing our profitability. Here are the 5 systematic processes that changed everything.
The reality: Most remakes aren't caused by one big mistake - they're caused by small errors that compound throughout the process. These systems catch those errors before they become expensive problems.
Never let one person be responsible for critical measurements. Implement a three-person verification system:
Initial field measurements with photos and detailed notes
Office staff reviews measurements against photos and flags inconsistencies
Fabricator reviews drawing and measurements before cutting
This system recently caught a $3,000 mistake when our office reviewer noticed that a sink cutout measurement didn't match the sink model specified. A quick call to the customer revealed they had changed sink models but forgot to mention it.
Before any cutting begins, hold a 10-minute review with templater:
Don't wait until the end to check quality. Build checkpoints into your fabrication process:
Each checkpoint should take no more than 5 minutes. If it takes longer, you're probably trying to fix something that should have been caught earlier in the process.
Before any piece leaves the shop, conduct a thorough inspection using this checklist:
Document the inspection with photos and sign-off:
Even with perfect fabrication, installation issues can cause problems. Verify these before starting:
Give your installation team authority to stop work if conditions aren't right:
It's better to delay installation and fix problems than to force an installation that will cause issues later.
The most expensive mistake you can make is thinking you can fix quality issues later. Every step in your process should be designed to prevent errors, not catch them after they happen.
Transform your team's mindset from "fast and fix later" to "right the first time":
Taking 5 extra minutes for verification saves 5 hours of remake work. Train your team that careful work is fast work.
Encourage team members to speak up when something doesn't look right. The person closest to the work often spots problems first.
Recognize team members who catch potential problems before they become expensive mistakes. Make prevention heroes, not firefighters.
When you catch a potential problem, analyze why it almost happened. Use near misses to strengthen your prevention systems.
Our templater noticed a sink cutout measurement that seemed slightly off during the pre-fab review. Instead of assuming it was correct, he took 5 minutes to call the customer and verify.
Result: The customer had indeed changed sink models but forgot to update us. That 5-minute call prevented a $4,500 remake and saved the installation schedule.
Quality control isn't just about avoiding remakes - it's about building a reputation for excellence that drives referrals and allows you to charge premium prices.
These 5 processes require minimal investment but deliver massive returns. The key is consistency - every job, every time, no exceptions.
Start with measurement verification. It's the foundation that prevents most problems. Once that's solid, add the other processes one by one until quality control becomes part of your culture.